"I've started to understand why Andy Murray struggled to leave" - Jack Draper makes unique observation on Novak Djokovic's new coach hire

Jack Draper recently gave his thoughts on fellow Brit Andy Murray prolonging his singles career despite a serious hip injury. The 23-year-old, who himself is currently suffering from hip niggles, also spoke about the difficulty that tennis players face in keeping themselves motivated after retirement.

Draper enjoyed a career-best season on the ATP Tour in 2024 as he managed to climb from 61st to 15th in the singles rankings. The highlights of his year included reaching the semifinals of a major tournament for the first time in his career and winning his first two tour-level titles, including an ATP 500 event in Vienna.

Draper recently sat down with The Telegraph for an interview, where he alluded to Murray's "struggle to leave the sport". The 23-year-old maintained that tennis pros are often clueless about the activities that they should pursue post-career.

"I’ve started to understand now why Andy [Murray] struggled to leave the sport. [As tennis players] we’re chasing something the whole time, we’re busy with that dopamine hit of winning and playing and traveling. It’s not real life," Jack Draper told The Telegraph. "So when you go back to not having a lot of stuff on, it’s kind of like, 'I've got another six hours till the end of the day. What am I going to do? Watch some TV?'"

Furthermore, Draper expressed surprise at the news of the retired Murray joining Novak Djokovic's team for the 2025 season.

"It’s obviously a shock that he [Murray] is going to be with Djokovic [as a coach for at least the start of the new season]," he added. "But I can understand that he probably wants that buzz again. I’m definitely wired a little bit that way, as well. I suppose the sport wires you to be that way."

Andy Murray is regarded as one of the best tennis players of the Open era with three major titles, 41 weeks as the World No. 1 and $64.68 million in prize money earnings. The Brit's top-flight career came to a halt in 2017 due to a hip injury, which required replacement surgery. He continued competing at the top rungs of men's tennis in the following years before hanging up his racquet after the Paris Olympics in July.

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Jack Draper to miss United Cup 2025, yet to confirm Australian Open participation

Jack Draper hits a shot at Canadian Open 2024

Last week, Jack Draper put out a statement on his Instagram stories, where the World No. 15 revealed to his fans that he would be skipping the 2025 United Cup later in December. He also stated that his hip has yet to fully heal, leaving his Australian Open hopes under a cloud of doubt.

"As I work to get on top of my hip injury and get match fit, I have unfortunately been advised not to play in the United Cup," Draper wrote on his Instagram stories. "While we are positive about competing at the Australian Open this year, I know I won’t be able to jump straight back into a packed schedule as I manage and strengthen my hip... gutted as I was really looking forward to play in the United Cup for the first time."

In Jack Draper's absence, Katie Boulter and Billy Harris will be the team's main singles players at the United Cup.